The past comes back to haunt Weylock in his latest dark adventure. Three years earlier, long before he would inherit the mantle of the Hexecutioner, Special Agent Jaxon Weylock was tasked with catching a diabolical psychopath in NYC. Little did he suspect at the time that The Preacher was no ordinary serial killer. Weylock was up against a demon who would soon change his life forever.
Now a copy-cat killer has appeared on the scene. The Preacher has returned, or so it seems. And this impostor has his sights set on the Hexecutioner himself.
In the real world, he is Special Agent Jaxon Weylock, FBI profiler of human monsters. But in the shadow world where supernatural beasts prey on the innocent, he is the Hexecutioner, punisher of otherworldly evil.
Versed in the dark arts, master of magic and occult ritual, Weylock hunts—and executes—the monsters that haunt humanity’s nightmares.
Another awesome installment to this amazing series!
A small backstory:
Jaxon Weylock is once again on the trail of a baddie who this time is somehow connected to a case that he had before he became the Hexecutioner. There is a psycho nut on the loose so it seems until something happens to flip the tables on Jaxon and then he realizes that there is more than a crazy psycho killing people as what he is up against is far worse than what he could ever imagine.
Thoughts:
The sixth installment has quite a bit of suspense, mystery and tension within this book. As always with this series, there is lots of action, but this book was more intriguing which set a fast pace within the book as I became so involved with the story that I went flying through the book as I kept wanting to see what would happen next!
There are time jumps in this book with chapters that go into the past explaining the history of how Jaxon becomes the Hexecutioner and then it jumps forward into time with what is taking place with his newest case. All in all it flows smoothly and there are no hiccups with the time jumps.
As always with this author, the writing style flows along and the atmosphere of what is happening within the story just wraps itself around you making you feel that you are standing side by side with Jaxon as he fights the bad guys. Giving this one five "Diabolical Demonic" stars!
The Demon Within by William Massa has the Hexecutioner going up against a friend of his in the past that he never imagined he would have to. She is an exorcist.
To Nun or not to Nun! Lady Exorcist Falls Foul of Demonic Siege! "Well, what the Hell is literally going on here. I'm trapped in a desecrated church and the Hexecutioner has a new opponent!" - The Spiritual Caller.
Awesome story - the best outing yet with the Hexecutioner.
When I first started reading this series, I found it fun, kinda light entertainment with brisk pacing and clever and imaginative plots. The characters were fairly 2-dimensional, and for me that can be an absolute show-stopper. However, I put that down to the format of short-novellas not providing much scope for character development.
Now we get to book #6 and the main character, Jaxon Weylock, the Hexecutioner, is gaining depth, backstory and nuances. ... Awesome ... Beautiful!
Has Weylock met his match? Our Hexecutioner is pulled to stay in his beloved city after his last case. His memories of his wife brings back what happened to him three years earlier when he was possessed. We finally learn how he became the Hexecutioner and his possession by the demon who killed his wife. Instead of leaving he is shown his next case when the ghosts of two clergymen come to him for help. A nun who is an exorcist is the next victim, but is still alive. Will Weylock get there in time? It is more personal as he knows this nun and she was with him during his possession. Bloody, and violent, this story enthralls once again as we are left dangling on the edge of this cliffhanger again until the next release. Weylock is my new hero and I hope somewhere in this authors heart he deems to give this man who has suffered so much a happy ending...but we have to wait as always for the next book to come out. As always a good read.
A creative, alluring mix of past and present leading to a story that you can’t put down. See the original start of Jason becoming the Hexecutioner as well as the changes yet to come. It really shows the evil and good twist in a whole new light. I cannot wait for the next book!
I love these short episodes of Hexecutioner; each episode builds on the previous ones and yet aren't dependent for enjoyment. This story has a very unusual twist with an exorcist being unsuccessful and the demon taking over and creating Hexorcist. You will definitely enjoy this one!
This is the book where this series turns the corner. No longer is it the monster shows up, the hexecutioner kills it, end of book. This book takes you deeper into the backstory of when Jaxon Weylock was possessed by the demon he ended up controlling.
“THE DEMON DOESN’T POSSESS THE HEXECUTIONER; THE HEXECUTIONER POSSESSES THE DEMON.” (Cue the chills!)
THE HEXECUTIONER BOOKS 1 THROUGH 9 IN GENERAL, THE ENTIRE SERIES, TO DATE BY WILLIAM MASSA
28 OCT 2020
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ 👍👍👍👍👍
—————————— I’ll let you know, right up front, this review is long. I’m not known for my short reviews. However, I have found with many longer reviews, it is easier to just HIGHLIGHT THE ENTIRE REVIEW and then tap “SPEAK” in the options that present themselves. It is, however, advisable to read along with the narrator — sometimes they have a hard time interpreting punctuation, and the like. (IE: quotation marks, dashes etc.) Thus, it can make for some interesting listening, if you don’t follow the actual wording. Also, I’ll apologize up front also, if I made too many egregious mistakes. I was “one-finger hunting and pecking” on an itty bitty iPhone and this, like I just mentioned above, is a very long review — I did have nine books to cover, after all. 😅 ——————————
Alright, so to begin with, I waited until I read the entire series of books (one through nine) to right a review. Book ten is on “pre-order,” as I write.
I was too entranced, as I was reading, to stop and write a review at the end of each individual book. Plus, I read every single book, in one night.
Not only was this a brutal, no nonsense series of right revenging wrong, it was a revelation in writing, for me.
It didn’t mess around with all the extra (and sometimes boring) details that are really, so many times very unnecessary, that many authors tend to throw into their stories.
We get the straight scoop from start to finish.
My favorite was the book four . . nice ending.
AND HIGHEST ON MY LIST OF PRAISES?
The express fact that William Massa did not feel the need to throw in the obligatory love interest, or sex scene, that absolutely has no place in this series. There was absolutely nothing at all like it — not even close. He got that point across loud and clear in the very first book in this series. I picked up on that tidbit of information — it gave me hope. So, I kept reading and he stuck with that throughout all nine books.
There’s no distraction from the storyline — an ex-FBI agent, possessing/controlling a demonic creature and forcing it’s evil nature to work for the good that he still possesses it his own nature, consuming the evil he went after as an FBI agent, in his former life.
Only this time around, he’s fighting an evil he never even knew existed, in this earthly world, (hint: earthly) until his very last case as that agent of the FBI.
“The demon doesn’t possess the Hexecutioner; the Hexecutioner possesses the demon.”
Sadly, the Hexecutioner’s righting of wrong ONLY comes after a number of people have already died at the hand of just one truly evil incarnate person. It’s when there is enough carnage wrought, to determine this is truly an evil of a “DIFFERENT“ nature, the (now, numerous) dead’s cries for justice activate the Hexecutioner’s book of the dead — The Necrodex. Fitting name — BOOK OF THE DEAD.
The Necrodex alerts the Hexecutioner.
When the Necrodex activates it’s for one reason, and one reason only — the dead demand justice. And justice is what the Hexecutioner is all about. There is only one true Hexecutioner born once every generation. This generation? It’s a renowned FBI profiler, Special Agent Jaxon Weylock. The bureau’s leading expert on violent crime. Ex-FBI agent, now. Still, he carries his Glock, right along side his Necrodex. Sometimes there is still one innocent life left to save. Sometimes there is not. But, in the end, it’s all about stopping this particular evil incarnate that his book of the dead brought to his attention.
You may ask . . . “How can he keep this demon inside of him under control?”
Simple. And, yet, not so simple.
It’s a constant power struggle.
This demon gets to feed his own lust, by devouring the evil wielder who is the source of all those souls who have activated the book of the dead, calling for justice.
As the demon gets to devour this book’s particular evil, the Hexecutioner sets the souls he’s terrorized to rest. Sometimes they were killed just for the fun of it. Sometimes there’s a deeper, much more disturbing reason. Mostly, it’s just for the evil-doer’s greed and/or lust for power. Either way, the Hexecutioner frees them, from whatever TERROR their CAPTURED SOULS have been encased, or trapped within, frees them from having to perform evil acts on behalf of this particular evil-doer. The possibilities for using these trapped terrified souls are endless.
In the end, it’s JUSTICE for the ex-FBI/Hexecutioner.
And, tidbits of FOOD for the evil demon he controls.
Tidbits given to him, specifically, to KEEP HIM UNDER HIS CONTROL. You’ve, got to give him something, you know. It’s hard enough to control the demon inside him, so he can wield his black-magic for good instead of evil, without allowing him a small reward for his submission.
There’s a balance to all of it.
The demon gets to absorb a very tiny, minute bit of the evil he craves. While, in exchange, the Hexecutioner gets to use the demon’s abilities for good instead of evil.
“The demon doesn’t possess the Hexecutioner; the Hexecutioner possesses the demon.”
I’ve been craving what WILLIAM MASSA is authoring here for a very long time. I’ve praised other authors for their brutal, no sugar coating, no nonsense, non-apologetic way in portraying a character and/or a storyline. Their no nonsense approach to get straight to the point and straight to a solution where it’s needed. No matter how it gets done.
No apologies offered. No apologies needed. None for the characters. None for their actions. Especially no regret, or second thoughts, from any of the actors involved. Got to do it. Get it done. NO APOLOGIES.
The difference here? This is what I really wanted. These SHORT, CONCISE, NO LOVE , NO SEX, type of story.
We get the Hexecutioner’s story at the beginning of every book — although, more about his own ordeal is revealed throughout this series.
We get the dead’s story. We get to the root of all the evil.
THEY (and we) GET JUSTICE. THE DEMON GETS FED.
SHORT. PRECISE. BEAUTIFUL IN IT’S CONSTRUCTION. END OF STORY.
However, in the sixth book, “The Demon Within,” something slightly changed in the theme of things.
A FEMALE antagonist was introduced.
I hope, to all these character’s different gods, that he does not try that time old adage of her trying to use sex to taunt him, or get him into bed, either to use him, throw him off his game or just to antagonize him even more about his poor, definitely “dead-before-her-time” wife — Avery.
He’s already had him acknowledging that he thought this newest trouble was attractive . . .
“She was strikingly beautiful and repellant all at once.”
I WILL NOT TAKE IT WELL, NOT EVEN FOR A MOMENT, if the author has Jaxon Weylock defile his memory of his wife, for even one thought — I’m out of there. This comment was bad enough for me. I’m not looking for a romance novel here — I just cannot take ANY kind of betrayal, about anything, ever. As soon as that starts to take place, whether in thought, or body — I POSITIVELY WILL NOT READ ONE SINGLE WORD FURTHER. And, I’m very serious, about this. Not something I’m willing to witness — NO MATTER HOW IT TURNS OUT.
This newest entry into this series basically (and I mean, basically) steals his Necrodex — which in no way should have been possible. It’s specifically TIED to the Hexecutioner.
She plans on going through her book’s (re-animated) version of the Necrodex and follow in the Hexecutioner’s footsteps, behind him, (so to speak) to undo all the righting that he’d already done on behalf of all those innocent souls.
She sees these evil black-magic wielders, as so-called “victims of justice.”
She plans on giving the evil wielding culprits, who have been brought down by the Hexecutioner, their revenge for suffering the indignities of having been caught, punished and thus, properly dealt with, by the Hexecutioner. More importantly, she also plans on setting every DEMON POSSESSED HUMAN who is kept carefully guarded in the deep, dark recesses of a mountaintop monastery in Italy. Though kept inside, under lock and key, these poor men and women are being very well cared for by the monks inhabiting this monastery. Unlike Jaxon Weylock, these are the people who have been unable to free themselves of the demons that possess them, no matter what has been tried.
And, the one thing that stands in her way?
THE HEXECUTIONER.
THIS IS HIS HOME.
Not only is she his equal (and possibly even more, from the looks of it) but, she unmercifully tempts the beast within the Hexecutioner who, now that he knows she exists, wants more than ever to be set free.
The Hexecutioner is always fighting for the beast to stay in HIS control — NOT the other way around. And, she sooo tempts this beastly demon, within him. I doubt this demon knows he’d be UNDER her control, even more so, than he is within the Hexecutioner.
But at least he’d, NO DOUBT, be fed . . . and be fed not only MORE, but MORE OFTEN — which helps to make him more powerful, again.
Now, the Hexecutioner has TWO evils to CONSTANTLY do battle against (his demon and the nun’s demon) while he’s ALSO battling all the smaller, lesser evils he’s been put here to take care of, in the first place.
The HISTORY of the Hexecutioner goes BACK in ALL OF TIME. And, clearly, this new entity is JUST AS OLD as the Hexecutioner, IF NOT MORE SO. After all, there had to be EVIL FIRST, in order for there to be a NEED FOR THE HEXECUTIONER . . .
RIGHT?
She’s even decided to give herself a kicking new moniker to go along with the Hexecutioner’s — she’s calling herself the “Hexercist.”
The sh¡t of this is — she’s using the good of a NUN, (worse than using the good of an FBI profiler) who was herself, an EXORCIST for the Catholic Church. Compared to what we’ve seen the Hexecutioner deal with so far — plain old EVIL HUMANS and/or HUMANS PRACTICING black-magic — this exorcist has dealt with the truest of all evils — down and outright DEMONS FROM THE DEPTHS OF H€££ . . . ITSELF !!!
That’s how, or maybe that’s why, this older than time demon was able to, or possibly wanted to, get hold of her — think of all those excised demons just waiting for justice, or more precisely waiting for REVENGE, for having been blocked and (basically) neutered by this NUN.
This nun, Sister Amelia, had the “power of the light” within her and, also, the power of a particular cross — a pendant . . .
“The pendant had belonged to Blessed Oratius of Toulouse, the medieval Saint of all exorcists, and the cross’ white magic served as her most potent weapon against the legions of darkness.”
Except her last exorcism went horribly wrong — instead of exorcizing a demon, she gained a demon and lost the pendant. That should not have been able to happen — as is with the Necrodex, so it goes with the pendant. Other than the one person it has attached itself to, NO ONE should be able to get near it.
Which, in and of itself, points to just how STRONG this newest DEMON is. TWO supposedly UNTOUCHABLE saintly relics were so easily snapped up, by great evil, with great ease — the very thing they were supposed to repel against.
This saintly nun will now, have to do the nefarious work for this demon — just as those other lost souls had to do before the Hexecutioner had freed them. A demon who now wields the magical “power of the light” of that pendant.
“I can use Sister Amelia’s power of the light in the name of darkness, just as you have twisted your demon’s magic for good. I can walk into any church, I’m impervious to any magical weapon or white magic protective ward, and I can create my black magic containment circles. Isn’t it just thrilling?”
No. Not to me. It’s not thrilling at all. I can just picture more losses than saves coming out of this, and I’m not just talking about the poor tortured souls, here. I mean to the Hexecutioner’s psyche, more than anything else. He’s always battling his own guilt, right alongside battling the demon which is literally, not metaphorically, inside himself.
PLUS, I REALLY HATE GAMES. The fact that this was NOT resolved in book 6, is NOT to my liking. That means this is now a game of give and take, gain and lose, control and loss of control. I hate the introduction of a new antagonist that isn’t simply dealt with, like all the rest have been, so far. I do realize that the author feels like he has to add something new. Some — NEW BLOOD — (I know, horrible pun!) to keep these novels going.
But, unlike many readers (at least, I think unlike many readers) I do not need, nor do I think I want, this interjection. As long as he had kept coming up with new narratives, with great endings of justice metered out — I’D HAD BEEN VERY HAPPY. Other readers might have gotten bored . . . NOT ME, I NEVER DO.
Besides, like I stated earlier, I APPRECIATE THE NO SEXUAL CONTENT.
I definitely will NOT stop reading this series, though. I’ll just have to wait and see what happens. I’VE ENJOYED THIS SERIES, IMMENSELY, way too much to stop now. I know WILLIAM MASSA is great at this stuff, so I’ll just have to trust him. I’m just a bit leery. That’s all.
THIS PART IS MOSTLY FOR THE AUTHOR: When I think of Jaxon Weylock, (not the Hexecutioner) and his wife, and his guilt, and sadness, and everything that tears him up inside when thinking of her, I think of the older song by Christopher Cross “Think of Laura” and Chris’ sad lament of her when he sings “ . . . think of Laura, laugh don’t cry. You know she would’ve want it that way . . . “ Yeah well, maybe not exactly laugh in this instance, but definitely not BETRAYAL — just don’t let that happen. PLEASE. I believe the reason Jaxon Weylock fights so hard, against all this evil, is wrapped up in his feelings for his wife, his INTENSE LOVE for her and knowing they were BOTH victims, at the same time. He can tell the difference between a spector and his real wife and can destroy that image of her when it’s projected toward him — he knows it really isn’t her. But, please, don’t destroy what his left of his own resolve to never betray her, again, (whether he had/has any control over it, or not) by having him BETRAY HIS LOVE for her, also.
Oops, not only did I get a bit off track I, also, got ahead of the storyline . . . I APOLOGIZE.
I’LL KEEP READING.
And yes, at the very least, I owe you this — THANK YOU, William Massa! I’m happy I’ve found you!
This is the best one yet in this series of novellas! It delves into Jax's past and explains in more detail how things came to be. Great twist at the end! I'm not saying anymore or I'll spoil it. Read now!!!
Jaxon Weylock former FBI agent, is the Hexecutioner. Once possessed but who now controls his demon to deliver justice for the innocent. Sixth book in the series and we get a full insight in to how Jaxon was possessed. It also introduces a new adversary, that will test Jaxon to his limits.
This adventure picks up immediately after the last novella. Still in Queens, Jaxon's past intertwines with his present to battle another facet of evil. A great read that delves into Jaxon's tragic past while confronting yet more tragedy and horror.
Oh what a twist! Demon versus demon, but which is fighting for good? This authors imagination and creativity never cease to amaze me. The ability to fit such a heavy storyline within a smaller page count without sacrificing intensity is very talented and speaks towards this authors skills. I believe I have one more book to be caught up again and looking forward to it! All my reviews are always voluntarily written.
I really enjoyed this story. It has a great beginning and an interesting discussion about the nature of evil. It is a bit different from the earlier stories because it fills in Weylock’s back story before going on to a totally unexpected ending. I am looking forward to seeing how this new twist plays out.